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Google Nexus 7
by raakhee123
Before buying I did A LOT of research. As a commuter, I wanted a tablet to watch films on but can also use the internet (when I have access to wifi) for emails, facebook etc. I found that as this is an android, there will be loads of apps available (not as many as apple but not far from it). I wasn't going to buy a Ipad as I didn't see ... the point in spending a load of money on something to only watch films on. I found that the Nexus allows me to watch more films in different formats, especially if you download the VLC app and is very quick and easy to use. I don't like being restricted due to certain formats by itunes, I don't really have the patience to covert the format and load something onto an ipad as I already have an iphone and have dealt with itunes. The battery isn't the greatest and will only last about 4 hours or so but I charge it up when I am at work.
The only negative thing I could say about the nexus is the sound quality. The sound isn't very good so when you are on a train and you can't hear the film you are watching can be quite annoying! I understnad that people do listen to things really loud and can damage their hearing (i'm guessing this is the reason for the low sound) but I think people can make their own decisions on how loud they want to listen to something. There are a few apps you can download (free) that help with the sound quality, which really do help.
All in all its a great gadget and I'm really glad that I bought this.
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Kobo Vox e-Reader 7"
by milmol7
The Kobo Vox was my introduction to the world of ereaders /tablets, so I have nothing to compare with, BUT, I have found it to be an absolutely great piece of kit. It was a gift so I had no preconceptions about what I wanted to use it for but the functions I have used have met all my needs.
The main usage is obviously as an ... ereader, and this is where I feel I am better off with my Kobo that with a Kindle. I have downloaded the Kindle app onto my vox, so I have full access to the Kindle store (often slightly (pence) cheaper than the Kobo store) and can read those books on my Vox. The Kobo store itself is accessible by 'one touch', the purchasing is straightforward and I've never had a problem. The 'big one' though is that it can be used to access the public library e-books. This means after a small wait, access to many latest releases are available, as well as being able to 'borrow' travel guides etc for holidays. All for free.
Reading, it's completely adjustable in terms of text size, screen brightness, page orientation etc and I have had no problems reading outdoors.
I also use the app store - it now has access to the main android appstore - and have downloaded lots of apps covering my interests. So I have downloaded some book/reading apps but also MS Office apps and dropbox to give me access to documents when away from home or the office. Additionally, calendar, organisational, list-making, database apps etc.
I have also put a lot of music onto my vox which sounds perfectly good through the speaker, again that's been useful on holiday.
Finally I use it for a few games, which again I downloaded from the appstore and use with varying degrees of intensity according to how bad my addiction to them is at any one time!
I respect all the reviews (and I have seen plenty) which compare the Vox negatively to other ereaders but feel that many of these focus heavily on the technical aspects, hardware, software etc of the kit and all that I can say is that for me, someone who has no particularly technical knowledge, or technical needs, the Kobo Vox does everything it sets out to do brilliantly.
My Vox did freeze once and I had to reset, but everything is backed up and all my purchases were automatically re-downloaded so it was no more than an inconvenience. Looking for other downsides, the weight of the reader is probably one (although the counterside of that is its a sturdy piece of kit, so depends on your take), and the battery life would be the other. In my experience it didn't meet the claims of length of battery life - particularly when connected to wifi, I have wifi turned off at all times except when I particularly need to be online.
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Amazon Kindle Fire HD
by moggym
This is my first kindle and am very pleased. Be warned though this is not an upgrade for your Kindle e-reader, if you want to upgrade your Kindle e-reader get the paper white one as this is a Tablet with an app for reading e-books.
In the box you get a your Kindle, plus a USB cable along with the warranty leaflet and a small ... leaflet on how to charge and where the buttons are and thats it. The USB cable goes in at the bottom of the kindle, with the other end going into a power supply, as there is not a plug supplied this my be a problem for some and an additional purchase my be required, I found that my HTC charger and Blackberry charger will do the job, alternatively PC or Laptop USB slot will do, most modern TV's have USB slots in them, Personally I think this is a good idea as I have loads of chargers that have no use.
The build is very solid with an Full HD screen that claims to be reduced glare, yes it gives a crystal clear image but the reduced glare is a let down, I use screen protectors this is a bit of a must as the screen is easily marked or scratched, there are many cases for the Kindle that come whith these and also a hand stylus pen. There is an on off button on the left hand side and just above that there is the sound buttons. There are 3 slots on for the USB for charging or connecting to a computer to transfer files like photo's. There is a micro-HDMI slot cable not supplied but are only a couple of pounds, this is good for watching films on the bigger TV screen, basically turns your tv into a smart TV.
The sound port is at the top right this gives terrible sound quality even with good headphones.
The speakers are built into the back so face away from the user, it uses Dolby Digital Plus with dual driver stereo speakers, these are very small but give a very good sound indead .
To start using press the on button and the screen lights up with a lock screen simply drag the lock from right to left to gain access, this start screen is sometimes an image but if you are connected to the internet it will be an advert, these adverts can be removed at a cost of £10.
The start screen has at the top left "Maurice's Kindle" center top is the time and to the right hand side is your internet bars and power. Below this is a menu bar, Shop, Games, Apps, Books, Videos, Newsstand, Web, Photo's, Doc's and Offers. Bellow this are images of your recent activities as its touch screen you can simply drag your finger left and right to look through the images. Lastly in the bottom right corner there is a favourites star.
All the menu bars act in the same way apart from the web, touch the word you want for instance Apps, this will take you to your apps with an onscreen buttons for your apps that are stored on your Kindle and ones that are stored in your cloud, there is also a button for Store were you can buy Apps for almost everything you can think off. Anything you buy will be from the Amazon store apart from videos these come from Lovefilm and yes this is Amazon owned.
Apart from Being touch screen it has accelerometer, gyroscope, this will allow you to turn your screen on its side and the screen with smoothly change to be viewed in that position, I only use it in the same position apart from when im reading a book as using it sideways is more like reading a normal book, this feature is more for gaming Apps like motorcar racing were you streer by moving your kindle.
When you go to the web there apears three rows of small images these are most visited, trending now, and selected sites the last two seem to be American sites, I cannot find a way to change these as yet. There is also a search bar, bookmarks and History
There are two memory options 16 or 32 this is not very much and cannot be upgraded, on the plus side when you purchase anything it is stored in your cloud space, this means you can delete it on your Kindle and it will still be on you Cloud storage.
Navigation on this is straight forward just touch screen to go to what you want, there is a back triangle and forward triangle plus a home button to take you to the starter screen.
There is no set up for this piece of equipment, just charge and go, there is however a need to set up internet connection, for this you will need access to WiFi just follow the steps simple, if you dont have WiFi this product is not for you as it has limited use without it. It claims that the Dual band WiFi antenna gives faster and fewer dropouts, as far as I can tell this does the job as watching films so far has not been interrupted by buffering.
Additional there is front-facing HD camera with a built-in microphone as far as it goes these are only good for using with Skype, Skype for Kindle app is already on this device. It also features built-in Bluetooth the only use I can think of for this is to transfer Photos from your Phone or Laptop.
For the price this is a good little media player it has its limitations and purchasing this keeps you tied with the Amazon sales market.
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